Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband: Scotland and Wales

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in the Scottish and Welsh Governments on the implementation of the Outside-In programme in Scotland and Wales.

Matt Warman: Matt Warman, Minister for Digital Infrastructure, met with Paul Wheelhouse Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands - Scottish Government on 16 December 2020, to discuss the UK Gigabit programme and the implementation of the Outside-In programme in Scotland.He highlighted that UK government has started the roll-out of gigabit capable full fibre in Scotland with more than £22m invested already in a number of projects including:a) The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme with over £4.9m committedb) Local Full Fibre Network project awarded £4.3m in the Highlands for 152 public sitesc) Local Full Fibre Network project awarded £1.9m in Unst and Yell (Shetland) for 21 public sitesd) Local Full Fibre Network project awarded £5.9m in Tay Cities for 228 public sitese) Rural Gigabit Connectivity project awarded £1.4m in Dumfries and Galloway for 35 public sitesf) Rural Gigabit Connectivity project awarded £2.1m for NHS Scotland for 51 public sitesg) Rural Gigabit Connectivity project awarded £2m in the Highlands for 37 public sites (in addition to the Local Full Fibre Network sites above)Similarly the UK government has also started the roll-out of gigabit capable full-fibre in Wales with more than £29m committed in a number of projects including:a) Support to the Superfast Wales project, which is delivered by the Welsh Government, and has provided almost 733,000 properties across Wales with access to fast fibre broadband. The contract intervened where the Private Sector had no plans to do so (at the time of procurement). The current phase, which runs to June ‘22, will reach up to 39k more prems.b) The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme with over £3.8m committedc) Local Full Fibre Network project awarded £8m in North Wales with 6 local authorities for 350 public sitesd) Local Full Fibre Network project awarded £1.2m in Pembrokeshire for 70 public sitese) Local Full Fibre Network project awarded £12m to the Welsh Government for the South Wales Strategic Road Network projectf) Local Full Fibre Network project awarded £3.16m to the Welsh Government for the Cardiff Capital Region project for 174 public sites in the ten authorities in SE Walesg) Rural Gigabit Connectivity project awarded £1.25m to the Welsh Government for 103 public sites in 11 Local Authority areasThe UK government, through BDUK, has commenced regular collaborative engagement with Scottish and Welsh Government Officials on the planning for the UK Gigabit programme. They have set up a number of workstreams to ensure the optimal mix of approaches to Outside-In in Scotland and Wales is achieved.The Minister also met with Lee Waters MS, the Deputy Minister for Economy & Transport on 1 May 2020, to discuss the Shared Rural Network. They discussed the benefits of the programme and acknowledged that the SRN was positive but Mr Waters had some concerns about the length of time for the full benefits of the programme. Both ministers agreed to meet again in the near future to discuss how they can collectively create an environment in which they can accelerate developments whilst maximising existing resources and infrastructure to reduce overall cost on the public purse. The Minister is committed to continue working collaboratively with his Scottish and Welsh counterparts on the implementation of the Outside-In programme in Scotland and Wales.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

International Court of Justice

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made for implications of his policies on the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in issuing a decision claiming jurisdiction in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza.

James Cleverly: We closely follow the important work of the International Criminal Court and are looking at the implications of this decision.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Health Services and Vaccination

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) support clinically vulnerable patients with underlying respiratory conditions suffering complications from long covid and b) maintain care and treatment for patients with new respiratory multi-morbidity through the vaccination phase of the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: NHS England and NHS Improvement have allocated £10 million to establish post COVID-19 services across England to provide assessment, diagnosis and a treatment pathway for those experiencing ongoing symptoms. Where clinically appropriate patients can access the assessment services remotely. All services are being run in line with safe infection prevention and control environments to ensure they are safe for clinically vulnerable people. A referral to the clinic should not delay treatment of known conditions such as respiratory disease. If an individual is experiencing ongoing or worsening symptoms, they should seek advice from their general practitioner (GP) in the first instance or if an emergency through their local emergency pathways.In addition, NHS England and NHS Improvement have also commissioned the development and of ‘Your COVID Recovery’ - a digital, interactive and tailored recovery programme to provide online rehabilitation for people experiencing ongoing COVID-19 symptoms to manage their recovery at home.Video consultations are now available in GP practices covering 99% of the population in England. Meanwhile, online consultations, where a patient can contact their GP practice directly via the internet, are available in almost 6,000 practices, covering 90% of the population.

Coronavirus: Cornwall

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the correlation between the high number of people from all tiers who visited Cornwall in summer 2020 and used its public venues and hospitality and that county's status as the area with the lowest cases of infection with and deaths from covid-19.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Throughout the pandemic, Cornwall has consistently been one of the areas with the lowest infection rates in England. During summer 2020, we observed lower COVID-19 prevalence in all regions. Throughout the summer, measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 were in place such as the national test and trace service, restrictions on large gatherings, guidance on COVID-19 secure workplaces, social distancing, mask wearing and hand hygiene. Furthermore, the summer allowed for more outdoor activities and socialisation which pose a lower risk of spread of COVID-19 compared to indoor activities.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure access to medical-grade FFP3 facemasks in all occupational settings for frontline health and social care workers.

Jo Churchill: For workers in the National Health Service, Infection Prevention and Control guidance published on GOV.UK sets out what personal protective equipment (PPE), including FFP3 masks, should be used and on what occasions. The equivalent guidance for workers in social care settings is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-social-care-guidanceIn December we established a four-month stockpile of COVID-19 critical PPE, including FFP3s. We are confident that we have secured enough FFP3s for the winter period and that we have the processes and logistics in place to distribute them to where they are required.As a result of the FFP3 fit-testing project, a further eight types of mask were made available, and we now supply over 12 different models to the NHS, with over 41 million units of FFP3 face masks available for distribution.The programme currently includes a team of up to 160 fit testers being mobilised for approximately five months and we are in the process of doubling the size of the team.

Coronavirus: Screening

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that care home staff are able to obtain a QR code to attend walk-in testing facilities.

Helen Whately: All social care staff are considered essential workers and prioritised for COVID-19 testing. Those who have booked an appointment at a testing site will receive a test. Sites can use other information to confirm an appointment if a QR code cannot be provided.

Coronavirus: Screening

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of using overseas testing capacity to meet (a) short, (b) medium and (c) long term demand; and how many covid-19 test have been sent overseas for processing in each month since March 20202.

Helen Whately: In addition to the network of six Lighthouse laboratories and other United Kingdom based partner laboratories, we have also worked with a number of ‘surge’ laboratories, some of which were overseas, enabling the programme to respond to demand. The vast majority of tests have been processed in the UK. We do not publish data.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) people over the age of 80 and (b) frontline health and social care staff in Greater Manchester have received the first dose of a covid-19 vaccine as at 15 January 2021.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) people over the age of 80 and (b) frontline health and social care staff in Greater Manchester have received the second dose of a covid-19 vaccine as at 15 January 2021.

Nadhim Zahawi: NHS England and NHS Improvement have published weekly United Kingdom-wide vaccination data. In January 2021, NHS England and NHS Improvement began to publish daily statistics broken down by age and region, with a more detail provided weekly. This includes the overall number of people who have been vaccinated by dose, those aged 80 years old and above and location. As more reliable data become available, it is expected to be published.Further data is available at the following links: www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-vaccinations/ coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/vaccinations www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccine-monitoring-reports

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Mr William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish percentage rates of covid-19 vaccination for the (a) first and (b) second dose, by priority group, at Clinical Commissioning Group level.

Nadhim Zahawi: NHS England is continually reviewing the data and information it publishes about COVID-19 and the related vaccine. The level of data published about the vaccination programme has increased since the original dataset was first published. Further information on vaccination levels across the country is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-vaccinations/ The latest data on first and second dose vaccinations is available at the following link: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/vaccinations

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether immunosuppressed people will receive the second dose of the covid-19 vaccine within the recommended three week period; and if he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended that as many people on the JCVI priority list as possible should be offered a first vaccine dose as the initial priority. The four United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers agree with the JCVI that at this stage of the pandemic prioritising the first doses of vaccine for as many people as possible on the priority list will protect the greatest number of at-risk people overall in the shortest possible time. This will have the greatest impact on reducing mortality, severe disease and hospitalisations and in protecting the National Health Service and equivalent health services. For both vaccines, data provided to the Medicines and Healthcare products and Regulatory Agency demonstrates that whilst efficacy is optimised when a second dose is administered, both offer considerable protection after a single dose, in the short term. For both vaccines the second dose completes the course and is likely to be important for longer term protection.

Cabinet Office

Weddings: Coronavirus

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will adjust the current restrictions on wedding ceremonies to allow them to be held in England with up to five people, including the couple, witnesses and the officiant, providing that the venue's capacity allows for 2m social distancing.

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of allowing virtual wedding ceremonies to take place in England during covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what scientific evidence his Department is using to base its decision to restrict marriage ceremonies to only couples with exceptional circumstances under the January 2021 covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

Alberto Costa: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a timeline for the return to normal proceedings for wedding ceremonies.

Penny Mordaunt: On 4 January, the Prime Minister announced a National Lockdown for all of England, in accordance with growing evidence of virus prevalence. Under these new restrictions, weddings and civil partnership ceremonies should only take place in exceptional circumstances. Up to six people can attend (including the couple). Anyone working is not included in that limit. We recognise the restrictions may be disappointing for those planning such events. By their nature, weddings and civil partnership ceremonies are events that bring families and friends together, including from across the country and sometimes across the world, making them particularly vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19. We do not wish to keep restrictions in place for any longer than we have to, and restrictions will be kept under review in line with the changing situation. For further information, please refer to the guidance for small weddings and civil partnerships https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships. There is different advice for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The government continues to regularly make available scientific evidence supporting its COVID-19 response, including at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/scientific-evidence-supporting-the-government-response-to-coronavirus-covid-19. On 22 February, the Prime Minister will set out the plan for reopening schools, and gradually reopening the economy and society, in a sustainable way in England. For further information, please refer to the Coronavirus (COVID‑19) page on gov.uk, which will publish further information regarding the roadmap on 22 February, https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus.